Subject
Fw: Response from 4th mathematician. ADA & mathematician Euler
From
Date
Body
Response from 4th mathematician
----- Original Message -----
From: Carolyn Kunin
To: Don Johnson
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 6:17 PM
Subject: Response from 4th mathematician
Dear Ms. Kunin,
I've rather enjoyed your insight into VN'w work and I hope I can help. I've had a few graduate classes in quantum mechanics, cosmology, and elementary particles, so I've had some background in the topic.
The area of mathematics that you and, I believe VN are referring to is a specific problem in mathematical topology. Although I read Ada earlier this year, I don't recall the exact reference in which Van "solves the Euler problem," but it makes perfect sense in my understanding of the "intercepting/overlapping worlds of art" described in Ada. Topology in mathematics refers to the nature of the "surfaces" in a particular problem (where "surface" can, and usually more than two-dimensions, if three dimensions, then it is a "world" or "space", or SU(3)/SU(2) × U(1) space). I found a nice description of the original Euler problem at http://mathforum.org/isaac/problems/bridges1.html . Although the original problem came from trying to figure out if someone could walk across a set of bridges without recrossing the same bridge, it has become the basis for understanding the fundamental nature of complex topologies, such as described in the recent Nova program on string theory. An example question in topology is there a "hole" in a surface. There is no hole for people who live on a flat plate or sphere, such as earth (terra), but there would be for someone living on the surface of a donut. String theory asks if the sting open ended or closed. Cosmologists ask if our Universe is flat or curved. If curved, what is its shape? If we travel in a "straight" line in one direction, would we return to our starting point, or go on forever? If we came back to the same point in space, would going in another direction be a longer or shorter route? What is its topology?
My understanding of the universe described in Ada comes from what VN said in "Good Readers, Good Writers" (or do I have that switched) in the introduction to his "Lectures in Literature." He said a novelist creates a world in which characters are created, occupy and interact. This world is not the "real" world, but a wholly, self-contained universe. A "good" artist creates an interesting world with self-consistent rules. He warns us not to look for historical understanding of pre-Revolutionary sociology of Russia in Tolstoy, but rather to read Tolstoy for the new worlds that he has created. The "world" of Antiterra is indeed complex because an artist in the world of Terra (our world) created it, in this instance, by VN himself. Other artists have created other Antiterra worlds that overlap Van's world by the degree of their artistic relatedness. This degree of this artistic relatedness is the Euler problem. By solving this problem, Van then understands that his world is not "closed," but rather has holes to other artistic worlds, and eventually to our "real" world. Worlds created by other artists intersect and influence Van's world, just as other artists have influenced VN's artistic world. The magic and novelty of Ada is that VN literally takes the "good reader" idea and stands it on its head. While a "good reader" is exploring the world of Ada, a character in Ada is trying to explore the reader's world. This begs the question - is Van a "good" reader? We can only explore his world only through the porthole of the author, and Van discovers he, to, is limited to seeing and understanding our world.
I know I'm not the first to express this theory, and I'm sure others, including you, have done it better. Reading, and trying to understand VN's wonderfully complex stories and novels are a simple past time constantly interrupted by children, dishes, and work. Thank you for your continued literary research. Much of it, unfortunately, is totally beyond my comprehension.
________________________________________________
----- Original Message -----
From: Carolyn Kunin
To: Don Johnson
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 6:17 PM
Subject: Response from 4th mathematician
Dear Ms. Kunin,
I've rather enjoyed your insight into VN'w work and I hope I can help. I've had a few graduate classes in quantum mechanics, cosmology, and elementary particles, so I've had some background in the topic.
The area of mathematics that you and, I believe VN are referring to is a specific problem in mathematical topology. Although I read Ada earlier this year, I don't recall the exact reference in which Van "solves the Euler problem," but it makes perfect sense in my understanding of the "intercepting/overlapping worlds of art" described in Ada. Topology in mathematics refers to the nature of the "surfaces" in a particular problem (where "surface" can, and usually more than two-dimensions, if three dimensions, then it is a "world" or "space", or SU(3)/SU(2) × U(1) space). I found a nice description of the original Euler problem at http://mathforum.org/isaac/problems/bridges1.html . Although the original problem came from trying to figure out if someone could walk across a set of bridges without recrossing the same bridge, it has become the basis for understanding the fundamental nature of complex topologies, such as described in the recent Nova program on string theory. An example question in topology is there a "hole" in a surface. There is no hole for people who live on a flat plate or sphere, such as earth (terra), but there would be for someone living on the surface of a donut. String theory asks if the sting open ended or closed. Cosmologists ask if our Universe is flat or curved. If curved, what is its shape? If we travel in a "straight" line in one direction, would we return to our starting point, or go on forever? If we came back to the same point in space, would going in another direction be a longer or shorter route? What is its topology?
My understanding of the universe described in Ada comes from what VN said in "Good Readers, Good Writers" (or do I have that switched) in the introduction to his "Lectures in Literature." He said a novelist creates a world in which characters are created, occupy and interact. This world is not the "real" world, but a wholly, self-contained universe. A "good" artist creates an interesting world with self-consistent rules. He warns us not to look for historical understanding of pre-Revolutionary sociology of Russia in Tolstoy, but rather to read Tolstoy for the new worlds that he has created. The "world" of Antiterra is indeed complex because an artist in the world of Terra (our world) created it, in this instance, by VN himself. Other artists have created other Antiterra worlds that overlap Van's world by the degree of their artistic relatedness. This degree of this artistic relatedness is the Euler problem. By solving this problem, Van then understands that his world is not "closed," but rather has holes to other artistic worlds, and eventually to our "real" world. Worlds created by other artists intersect and influence Van's world, just as other artists have influenced VN's artistic world. The magic and novelty of Ada is that VN literally takes the "good reader" idea and stands it on its head. While a "good reader" is exploring the world of Ada, a character in Ada is trying to explore the reader's world. This begs the question - is Van a "good" reader? We can only explore his world only through the porthole of the author, and Van discovers he, to, is limited to seeing and understanding our world.
I know I'm not the first to express this theory, and I'm sure others, including you, have done it better. Reading, and trying to understand VN's wonderfully complex stories and novels are a simple past time constantly interrupted by children, dishes, and work. Thank you for your continued literary research. Much of it, unfortunately, is totally beyond my comprehension.
________________________________________________